As the night fell, with a bright moon hanging high above, Wang Xu sat cross-legged on the rooftop terrace of an abandoned building, closing his eyes to calm his mind.
Having consumed the corpse of the red snake bug beast, Wang Xu naturally advanced to the late stage of the fourth rank, increasing his strength once more.
"…Inhale the qi into the body, circulate it through the meridians, draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, transform the essence of all things, and gather it within oneself…" Under the starry sky, with countless stars overhead, Wang Xu continuously recited the incantation of the "Basic Flesh."
Upon reaching the fourth stage of the "Basic Flesh," every pore in his skin could open up to breathe, significantly speeding up the absorption of energy. At this level, he could even go an entire day without needing to breathe!
The first three levels comprised the fundamental training of the physical body, progressing from bones as smooth as jade, to steel bones, and then to supple bones. Once reaching the fourth level, the process expanded from within to the skin, maximizing the effectiveness of the physical body.
Wang Xu was still mumbling the incantation for the fourth level, though its meaning was obscure. His ability to reach this level stemmed from paid instructional videos online, leaving him with little understanding of the incantation itself.
Taking advantage of the late-night solitude, he decided to recite the four incantations of the "Basic Flesh," approaching it with a mindset of experimentation.
However, on the third repetition, he suddenly noticed subtle changes in his body.
An invisible energy began to converge in the air around him, akin to a transparent thread weaving into his abdomen. These minor changes would have been utterly imperceptible if he hadn't achieved complete mental stillness.
"What is this...?" Wang Xu was stunned.
He had never heard of such a phenomenon!
Having thoroughly memorized the fourth level, almost word for word, his understanding came solely from online teaching videos and his own comprehension of the physical body.
Now he realized that he had likely overlooked the most critical aspect of the "Basic Flesh!"
"Inhale the qi into the body… draw on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth…" His eyes flickered as he replayed the incantation in his mind.
Suddenly, he had a breakthrough!
Of course!
This invisible energy was precisely what they referred to as "the spiritual energy of heaven and earth!"
Wang Xu understood that from the ancient perspective, what they called "energy" was referred to in the past as "spiritual energy"!
A door seemed to open quietly, and he felt as if he suddenly grasped a lot, yet he still hadn't captured the critical point.
"What does this line mean—'Condensing qi into a core, refined forty-nine times becomes low grade, refined sixty-four times becomes middle grade, refined eighty-one times becomes high grade'!" Wang Xu wondered. "Does this imply that qi can solidify into a core? Forty-nine, sixty-four, eighty-one—do the different processes yield different qualities?"
He had to admit that although he lacked talent in the realms of cultivation, he was exceptionally gifted in ancient martial arts.
Wang Xu grasped the general idea but did not immediately attempt to refine what was called the "core."
Among the powerful individuals he had encountered, he had never heard of anyone successfully refining a "core," nor had he seen or heard of practices involving the inhalation of qi and the solidification of qi into a core.
Was it his ignorance?
The faint threads of energy continued to transmit energy bits to Wang Xu. To him, this energy was insignificant, even lesser than that derived from devouring a second-tier bug beast, but the greatest advantage was that it could happen continuously.
"Well, relying solely on consuming bug beasts for advancement is never the best method; I'll give this technique a try to see if it can yield results." Wang Xu resolved internally.
Then, he closed his eyes, calming his mind as if the surrounding air had become thin and viscous, the entire world slowing down around him.
Within him, a tiny whirlpool of energy was gradually forming.
The whirlpool continuously attracted energy, pooling it together. For each segment of energy that integrated into his body, Wang Xu directed it to move toward the whirlpool, allowing it to absorb the energy.
After about two hours, Wang Xu was drenched in sweat; mental fatigue often felt more taxing than physical exhaustion. Fortunately, through his adjustments, the whirlpool had grown considerably, now able to autonomously absorb the energy flowing into his body.
Wang Xu felt weary but could not afford to be distracted; he kept his mind relaxed while focusing intently on the whirlpool's formation, not daring to let his vigilance slip.
The deep night passed swiftly, and as dawn broke, the soft light pierced through the mist, illuminating Wang Xu.
"After a night of refinement, the energy whirlpool has taken shape and can autonomously absorb energy. What happens next—with how much it can integrate and whether it can solidify into a 'core'—will depend on fortune."
Standing up, Wang Xu's bones cracked as he rose. Aside from some mental fatigue, he remained physically robust.
"I'm off; it's time to hunt bug beasts!"
…
In the dense jungle, a frail figure dashed swiftly through the trees, appearing quite disheveled. Her clothes were torn, and even the armor underneath was in tatters, exposing her delicate skin.
This frail figure was none other than Tang Yan!
Her lips were pale, drenched in sweat, with panic reflected in her eyes.
Behind her, two figures—one in blue and one in yellow—rapidly closed in, moving many times faster than Tang Yan. In just moments, they surrounded her, blocking her escape.
"Hey, Gary, I said chasing this one is worth it! Just look at that beautiful face; just gazing at her makes me feel a rush. No way, I have to be the first to have a go!" The blue-clad man, handsome with blond hair and blue eyes, exuded a gentlemanly charm, yet the lewdness in his eyes betrayed him.
"Bruns, there's no need to fret about that; let's tackle her together!" The yellow-clad man, named Gary, had pearly whites and a predatory gaze akin to a wolf eyeing a lamb, practically itching to pounce.
Tang Yan's face turned pale upon hearing their words: "You bastards! Do you know who I am? I'm the daughter of the Tang family! If you touch me, I'll make you wish you were dead!"
"The Tang family? What a joke. A mere family from the seventh safe zone thinks they can scare anyone. How naive!" Bruns scoffed.
"Stop wasting time talking to her! Grab her now, and once we're done, we'll take her back!" Gary eagerly urged.
"If you dare come near me, I'll kill myself!"
Tang Yan felt a sense of despair. Drawing a flexible sword, she held it to her neck, ready to take the ultimate step.
Just yesterday, she had swept through with her senior brothers and sisters in the inner courtyard, hunting numerous bug beasts and gathering quite a haul. She thought she would safely pass this graduation trial, but unexpectedly today, a group of strong opponents had emerged!
The leader of the opposing group was named "Wielin," and he was terrifyingly strong; also at the fifth rank, he overwhelmed Brother Ying Xing entirely.
Even his teammates were experts, leaving her seniors without a chance to retaliate!
In the end, Brother Ying Xing shouted "You all run!" before taking a body enhancement serum to hold off Wielin, buying them time to escape.
Wanting to flee, Tang Yan found herself relentlessly pursued by two of the attackers, and Li Ming, who had tried to protect her, was gravely injured. In the end, she couldn't escape!
Reflecting on this, Tang Yan realized how naive she had been, foolishly thinking she could confidently enter the genius battleground just because she had reached the fourth rank, boasting in front of her family elders.
But now she understood: the graduation trial was a lawless, uncontrolled dark zone where the only means of survival was one thing—strength!
Without sufficient power, the outcome would be utterly disastrous, just like now—facing a choice of humiliating suicide!
"Hm? Want to die?" Gary suddenly flicked his wrist, revealing a dagger in his hand. He swung it, and a white flash shot out like a beam.
Before Tang Yan could slash her neck with her flexible sword, a powerful force knocked it away.
"Attack!"
Bruns licked his lips, reaching out a large hand toward Tang Yan.
Her eyes filled with despair and unwillingness, tears streamed down her face as her body trembled. Faced with the rapidly approaching hand, she felt utterly powerless to resist.
Both of these men were at the peak of the fourth rank, while she was merely at the initial stage. In front of them, even dying was beyond her power—what could she use to fight back?
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, the sharp sounds of cutting air reverberated, and Bruns's face changed.
An enemy attack!
Just as he tried to retract his hand, it was too late; an incredibly swift blade of light sliced across his arm, severing it completely!
"Damn it!" Gary realized what was happening at once. With a wave of his hand, ten daggers flew like white lightning, arcing toward the sudden shadow!
The shadow, wielding a long knife, executed a sweeping motion, cutting all ten daggers down—none escaped.
Bruns and Gary both exclaimed in shock, "Who are you?!"
"I'm here to end you!"
The shadow landed on the ground, revealing a familiar face—it was the recently arrived Wang Xu. His face was grim, eyes cold as he snorted, "Wang Xu!"
Tang Yan couldn't believe her eyes; she stared wide-eyed at him, her mind momentarily blank, the familiar face leaving her in a daze.
Is this a dream? She pinched herself hard.
It wasn't a dream; it was real!
Overcome with joy, she threw herself into Wang Xu's arms, tears flowing uncontrollably.
Yet, at that moment, Wang Xu felt no elation from their reunion—his expression was one of icy seriousness.
He had been hunting bug beasts when he overheard the commotion and initially intended to ignore it. But at that instant, he clearly heard Tang Yan's desperate cry: "If you dare come near me, I'll kill myself!"
Wang Xu was all too familiar with her voice, and he rushed over at top speed.
He felt a sense of relief; had he truly turned to walk away, what fate would have awaited Tang Yan?
He shuddered at the thought and realized one thing: the two in front of him—they must die!